The Thick Burger
No dish is more American than the hamburger: ground beef and buns that symbolize this country’s egalitarian mindset, Yankee practicality and boundless creativity. Of the two basic types, the “it burger” of late has been the smash burger, made with a small ball of beef pressed onto the griddle to create a patty in the sort of pedestrian portion found in fast-food joints. We hail the return of the thick burger—aka the tavern, bar or pub burger. Sure, the smash variety renders plenty of crunchy texture, but the savory plumpness of as much as a half-pound of meat is what delivers the glorious pleasure that is ground beef.
Some places never stopped making the old-school …
